Tom Rowlands - The Ace Of Bass
Tom Rowlands has been playing bass for over 25 years and has been a part of his local music scene for nearly as long. Starting as a teenager Tom played in several local bands in the late 80’s early 90’s after which he took a break from music for over a decade.
Frustrated at his bedroom player status, Tom went out on the for a band to be in. After several auditions he manged to get the bass seat in the Mod rock group ‘Skinny’ and recorded their seminal album ‘That Was Then This Is Now’ in 2007. Tom stayed with the band until they officially split in 2010.
Not wanting to stay out of the music scene for long Tom found himself another local rock covers band in need of a bass player. The band were trying to branch out from the usual pub rock music instead playing the Southern rock sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers and ZZ Top. Named ‘The Swamp city Shakers’ Tom spent the next four years playing across the South East of England with the band.
By 2014 the Swamps had played their last gig and Tom needed to get out there again. This time he decided to frequent his local Jam scene. He already knew Jamie from the Jam scene and had seen him in his ‘Stone Blind’ several times. When Jamie mentioned his idea for an Elton john tribute act Tom knew it was a chance to play with some professional and creative players and was more than happy to join.
“I knew Jamie would have good people in the band, and after meeting both Dave and Michael knew the band was going to have legs. Joining the group has been one of the best things I’ve done musically in years. Not only is the Elton John material challenging, it’s also a huge departure from what I’m used to playing.”
The Gear
Tom uses his Fender Precision plus, a bass he has owned since the 90’s, and his Fender Jaguar bass. He also uses a TC Electronic RH750 which he plays through a Barefaced compact.
Frustrated at his bedroom player status, Tom went out on the for a band to be in. After several auditions he manged to get the bass seat in the Mod rock group ‘Skinny’ and recorded their seminal album ‘That Was Then This Is Now’ in 2007. Tom stayed with the band until they officially split in 2010.
Not wanting to stay out of the music scene for long Tom found himself another local rock covers band in need of a bass player. The band were trying to branch out from the usual pub rock music instead playing the Southern rock sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers and ZZ Top. Named ‘The Swamp city Shakers’ Tom spent the next four years playing across the South East of England with the band.
By 2014 the Swamps had played their last gig and Tom needed to get out there again. This time he decided to frequent his local Jam scene. He already knew Jamie from the Jam scene and had seen him in his ‘Stone Blind’ several times. When Jamie mentioned his idea for an Elton john tribute act Tom knew it was a chance to play with some professional and creative players and was more than happy to join.
“I knew Jamie would have good people in the band, and after meeting both Dave and Michael knew the band was going to have legs. Joining the group has been one of the best things I’ve done musically in years. Not only is the Elton John material challenging, it’s also a huge departure from what I’m used to playing.”
The Gear
Tom uses his Fender Precision plus, a bass he has owned since the 90’s, and his Fender Jaguar bass. He also uses a TC Electronic RH750 which he plays through a Barefaced compact.